SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is on the verge of extinction following cases of nepotism, recruitment of retired employees and deep-rooted corruption, a petition said.
The employees had written several petitions to Tourism Minister Metbah Lyngdoh, MTDC Chairman Sanbor Shullai and MTDC managing director RC Sohkhlet but in vain.
In the petition, the staff said, “Three retired employees of MTDC, Bishnu Mazumdar, GM (Finance); Vivekananda Roy, Consultant Accounts and PB Dutta, GM (Personnel) whose resignations were accepted by the MD, MTDC, Renette C Sohkhlet on November 20, November 26 and December 3, respectively, were appointed again by the corporation, except Dutta who is learnt to have joined NEHU, vide two office orders dated December 3.
Mazumdar and Roy joined their respective positions in the MTDC head office as per two office orders both dated December 3. The move of the management has angered one and all, especially those who are serving the corporation for numerous years without any promotion or regularisation.”
While expressing concern as to how the managing director of the department is holding on to the Tourism Department for 6 to 7 years since the normal tenure is 2 to 3 years, the staff said, “Is there any specific agenda or shortage of departments to accommodate her,” sources questioned while adding that Sohkhlet held the post of Director, Tourism earlier for almost nine years for reasons best known.
The petition further added even after various objections from NGOs regarding appointments of retired employees at higher positions, questions are being raised whether there is dearth of local qualified youths and why there are no advertisements for these posts.
The minister, chairman and MD were apprised in the petition that there are a number of employees in different units of MTDC who have been working on contractual basis for more than 15 years without any prospect of being regularised.
“These employees are working with sincerity and dedication with the hope that their services would be regularised.
Ironically, there are some employees who have been regularised without any advertisement which has greatly demoralised the contractual employees – who see their hopes largely diminished,” the statement added.
There is no enhancement in the wages of the contractual staff of MTDC in contrast to the hike in the salary of regular employees after the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission, the petition to the ministers stated.
There are cases of number of retired employees, above the age of 65 years of age, who have been employed in MTDC and occupying high ranking positions along with subordinate posts. The petitions urged that while retaining the subordinate, skilled menial employees who form the backbone of the units, such as, cooks, waiters and others, the services of the others may be discontinued because those appointed post retirement to higher ranks were not employees of the corporation and have no idea about how a corporation or the hospitality industry functions.
“This has caused severe confusions and the functioning corporation is greatly hampered along with the work culture and has caused bitter and sour relationships among employees,” the petitions say.
The petitions further said that due to non-existence of service rules in MTDC, various policies have been framed, passed and resolutions undertaken to the effect that they have been against the interest and welfare of the corporation and the employees.
It is alleged that all recent promotions done by the personnel division of the corporation are without any DPC (departmental promotion committee).
These petitions alleged, how some officers were repeatedly promoted within a short period of time whereas many junior level employees were never promoted during their service period, which would not have happened if regular DPCs were held.
In this regard, there is a demand for a enquiry regarding the promotion of the superintendent engineer of the corporation from executive engineer within a short period when he had already been promoted to the latter post from an assistant engineer.
Exceptions are also raised regarding the engineer’s holding responsibilities to look after the transport division of the corporation, Ward’s Lake (boating), Water Sports Division and the Swimming Pool in Orchid Lake Resort, Umiam despite the fact that his function as an engineer should be confined to the engineering division alone and should not extend to other departments of the corporation.
It is also pointed out that the additional handling of the departments / divisions by this engineer is resulting in negligence and not functioning in expected manner.
Hence, the petitions demanded that he be relived from other departments and concentrate to his own.
More queries were raised in the petition regarding the superintendent engineer’s work and performance within his department.
It was pointed out that to renovate the retaining wall of the State Convention Centre, on two occasions, an exorbitant expenditure of Rs. 47 lakh and Rs. 14 lakh had been incurred and an enquiry has been sought in this regard.
Also another enquiry is demanded to know about the details of the sale proceeds from the scrap of the roof of the main block of Pinewood Hotel including the bank in which the amount was deposited.
Sources said that the “RTI findings in this regard and several reports that have appeared in the public domain are enough to suspend the superintendent engineer.”
Rights of employees to express their grievances have been gagged by an order passed recently, claimed the petitions, which bars them from putting their signatures on representations prepared by them. These employees are also allegedly threatened that action would be taken if they fail to adhere to the order and acted against it.
“This order is not only dictatorial but a direct attack upon the employees disallowing them from exercising their democratic and fundamental rights,” the petitions said.
Earlier, a similar petition citing the grievances with copy to the then chairman, David Nongrum; RV Suchiang, Principal Secretary was filed with the MD, RC Sohkhlet on October 4, 2017.
The petition was jointly signed by over 100 employees of the corporation.
However, sources from the corporation said “nepotism and corruption still rules the roost” as an RTI finding in the recent past by the CSWO revealed the same.
Sources are questioning that when MTDC is facing fund crunch, how can it spend Rs 2 crore in legal fees besides the lessee of Crowborough Hotel, Lessly Shylla, has not paid out a whopping Rs. 828.11 out of Rs. 1001.44crore and there is no effort on the part of the corporation to either recover the same.
There are allegations that deep rooted corruption has rendered the MTDC a “white elephant” as “money and power are being shared by few vested individuals of the corporation along with the babus”.
